EKA Miljörum
Bengtsfors

Swedens first "miljörum" - a derelict industrial area has been transformed into an exciting educational park. You can find a stone labyrinth and rocks to jump on for the children, a stage, a sun-stair that goes down the lake Lelång, a place for barbecues, exhibitions about the area’s history and a Japanese garden, also called the stream area which is partly inspired by Bengtsfors locks, canals and rivers. The EKA environmental rooms is to impart knowledge about EKA history, its importance in the genesis Bengtsfors urban, environment and the implemented remediation. It is built to exist for 1000 years from now.

History

From 2005 to 2008 a comprehensive clean-up work was done on the so-called EKA plot in Bengtsfors where a chemical industry conducted its business during the early 1900s. The project started in 2001 with feasibility studies of the contaminated site and will be followed until 2019, by regular measurements. During the rehabilitation period, 62,000 tons of contaminated land have been sown, of which 36,000 tones have been transferred to SAKAB in Kumla for final disposal. Old buildings have been demolished and large areas of land next to the lake Bengtsbrohöljen has been cleaned from mercury and dioxins. The goal was to remove 90 percent of the total amount of mercury. The municipality of Bengtsfors has had the main responsibility for the project's implementation. Empirikon AB was responsible for project management.